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Monday, October 3, 2011

Rachel in Oxford

On September 28, Rachel and I flew to Heathrow. The trip to the airport was longer than we had planned, and we ended up rushing through the airport, just getting to the gate on time. The flight itself was fine, flew over the Alps and France.

We stayed in Oxford for four nights, primarily relaxing, but also visiting the city. When Rachel was younger, she studied for a summer at Cambridge, so it was interesting to bring her here. It was a calmer paced trip then we had in Italy, and with significantly worse food. Our first meal here in Oxford was actually the best food I've had in England, at a nearby Indian restaurant called 4500. We watched Inception on my computer that night. All of my housemates were still gone on their vacations, which was nice because Rachel and I had the place to ourselves.

On the 29th, we went grocery shopping, and then did a two-hour walking tour of the city. We saw them filming an episode of a crime show called Inspector Morse. After that we had a pint of cider in the Rabbit Room of Eagle and Child, drinking in the exact spot Tolkien and CS Lewis held their meetings.

On Friday, September 30, we went to Alice's Shop- where Alice Liddel (the inspiration for Alice's adventures in Wonderland) used to buy candy. The store is now a Lewis Carroll themed shop. We had a coffee in the Grand Cafe, England's first coffee shop, founded in 1650. We climbed to the top of St Mary's for the view, though Rachel didn't like the tiny stairs going up. We also visited the Museum of Science, Blackwells, and the Covered Market, doing some shopping.

On Saturday the 1st, all of the other people in the house came back and met Rachel. We all had breakfast together, then Rachel and I had a very leisurely picnic in the University Park, visiting Oxford Castle on the way. The park was nice, it was the hottest October day in English history, and everyone was outside. We then had ice cream at G and Ds, shopped a bit more, and came back.

This week with Rachel was one of the best weeks of my life so far. I am sad to be away from her for ten weeks now, but so grateful for this amazing vacation, and looking forward to seeing her when I get back!